FROST
by 4everpanabaker
Summary: Following the events of The Flash's Season 3 finale, Caitlin Snow travels to Keystone City to separate herself from the rest of Team Flash so she can discover who she is now.
1. Pilot: Part 1

**Note: Hi everyone and welcome to the premiere of FROST, exclusively on fanfiction for its initial run. There will be 15 episodes, and as such 30 chapters posted, lots of two making up one episode. Hopefully, there will be a part uploaded per week here, depending upon my ability to get them written ahead for my examination weeks at school. Anyways, thank you for your constant support to everyone who has been involved!**

 _ **Synopsis**_ _: Following the events of The Flash's Season 3 finale, Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker) travels to Keystone City to separate herself from the rest of Team Flash so she can discover who she is now. However, Keystone isn't quite like her home, overrun with crime lords, evil metahumans and corrupt bureaucrats. Caitlin finds that she is unable to separate herself from the pain of others, and must accept who she is to save the innocent. Whilst she attempts to accomplish this task alone with only her sought after trainer Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez) knowing the truth, it becomes obvious that she can't walk this path alone. With new friends police officer Eve Eden (Kirsten Prout) and genius IT specialist Earth-1 Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath), along with a blast from the past in Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus), Caitlin's journey no longer has to be one of solitude. Even so, the threats she will face are unlike anything she has ever witnessed before and will test her in ways she didn't even believe were possible._

There aren't many nights that Caitlin Snow gets any sleep. Tonight was yet another of those. Even though her eyes were closed, there was an inevitability to being unable to stay that way for long. She still felt the power coursing through her veins, the fear of being unable to control her abilities and hurting someone she loved plaguing her mind. The issue was, these weren't just fears. No, Caitlin Snow had hurt her friends. She was willing to kill Cisco Ramon multiple times even when she knew he was right about Savitar using her. She was going to kill Tracy Brand all because that metal man had told her it had to be so. It still felt like a bad dream, which might be why her mind always attaches sleeping with them. Her sweat was warm on her cool skin as it ran down her arms, body shaking as the icicle moved closer and closer to Cisco's heart in her mind...and then in an instant she was jarred awake. Chocolate orbs blinking, pale hands running through her snow white hair as she tried to compose herself. Her breaths were ragged and strained as tears were caught in her throat. A hand rested against her chest, almost trying to make sure her heart was still beating, and of course it was, but it was hard, like a drum. Her migraine headache that never seemed to dissipate from her lack of sleep pounded in her ears as she threw the bedcovers off of her body, seemingly disgusted with their inability to relax her. Her new apartment wasn't anything spectacular compared to what she used to own in Central City, but it was her newfound home. It was akin to a hotel suite she remembers from a childhood she had long forgotten. She remembers the warm air, the sound of waves crashing as she fell asleep. Why her mind didn't choose those memories to fill her dreams, she didn't know. Perhaps she never would. She slept in an old S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt much too large for her. Following the particle accelerator explosion, they were as good as firewood so she took some from the facility for herself. Some of them were probably Ronnie's too, although that seemed like a lifetime ago now. She couldn't even tell the difference anymore. Sighing, she slid out of bed, seeing the break of dawn across the horizon outside the window. Even if it hadn't been, she would have struggled to fall back to sleep. After all, she could only take those sleeping pills every four hours safely. Her feet slid across the carpet easily like a skater on ice as she walked to her closet and picked out a hooded jacket to wear along with her workout gear. She did miss waking up to text messages from the team, or going to work and seeing all her friends everyday, protecting the city they loved together, but she truly believed, after what she did, she didn't deserve such happiness. Whilst lacing up her runners, she quietly hummed along with the music on the radio which she left on for the whole day, a grounding mechanism. She quickly did her hair up into a streamlined ponytail, placing the hood over it so she wouldn't have to explain to any onlookers why her hair looks like it does. Thankfully, Team Flash marathons of Game of Thrones had given her a good excuse. In all her time in medicine and being a bioengineer, Caitlin had never figured out how memories worked, and why some could be so terrifying they could leave someone scared and breathless and others be so bright they lead to a smile. Just another secret she wouldn't understand. Taking a deep breath as she buried such thoughts inside her, she opened the door and headed out onto the road.

The cool air of dawn became apparent the moment she stepped out from the apartment building, the dew on the grass glistening against the sunlight. Buying an apartment just outside of the city allowed her to at least enjoy some spoils of the environment which she felt like she couldn't connect to anything. In Central City, there were parks and trees all across the city, almost an instantaneous mood lifter. Keystone had none of those remnants of happiness, replacing it with the stench of pollution and worn down houses, especially in the suburbs. Caitlin often saw people on the side of the street, clambering for money, to which she often gave some spare change to. They would smile in return at the kind gesture and explain that no-one else gives them such kindness. Perhaps that too was a Central City thing.

The other issue with Keystone was the lack of abandoned warehouses or restaurants she could utilise as a base of operations, something she had been searching for for what already seemed like an eternity. Although, working out of her house would make it much easier to explain why she was working by herself. As the break of dawn broke, she realised even it couldn't lighten the mood in the city. As she ran on the concrete path, there was no warmth or happiness, merely shadows in every corner, lurking at the back of every alley, ready to jump out at any moment. Anxiousness always filled Caitlin as she did her morning runs, not because she couldn't protect herself, but because she undoubtedly knew someone was being mistreated or hurt while she was doing her workout. But from all those years at S.T.A.R. Labs, she remembered that no matter how powerful she was, she couldn't save everyone. Not even Barry could do that. Taking a deep breath as she ran, she steeled her mind, attempting to once again rid her thoughts of Team Flash, shaking her head as her joggers pounded on the ground.

The night was when the worst of the city came out, those who were unable to survive because of the low economy turned to stealing to service their needs. And those who were unwilling to give their hard earned jewellery or money to a thug often get put down. That was when she came across the place she had been looking for, the old gym in Keystone. It had been rented by a man whom had trained another woman to give her enough fighting skills to be a vigilante. She had decided that she would get through to him eventually about her want to make up for her mistakes, and her hope was that she could show him how much it meant to her. However, she was still worried about using her powers for much more than was necessary and also keeping her identity as Killer Frost secret. She was worried, she knew even her friends struggled to look at her similarly. She had paused for a minute looking at the gym. Just like the rest of the city's landscape, it was old and wearied, obviously because of its utilisation over the years. Ted Grant only took over following his move from Star City, but according to him, homeless people were living in it prior to the new ownership. As Caitlin moved inside, she felt the wood underneath her feet, the thud of her sneaker as she moved on the gym's tattered floor. The sound of a man punching a boxing bag reverberated around the interior and Caitlin deciding to move towards it. The middle of the gym had a full ring, the heat obvious due to the lack of coolants such as fans and air conditioners. Ted had stopped punching the bag to look over at her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Back again?"

Caitlin nodded at Ted's question, walking closer to him around the ring. Ted shook his head at her before turning back to his boxing bag as if she wasn't even standing there.

"You can't just ignore me Ted. I need your help."

Ted stopped punching, a look of annoyance on his face as he began to take his gloves off as he spoke.

"To what? Get yourself killed? I can't train someone like you, not again."

"Why not? All I want to do is help this city. Surely you have seen just how devastated it is. People steal to survive, kill if they need to. Crime is bigger here than even in Starling City when the Arrow began his vigilante days." Caitlin looked at him with brown eyes hardened by all that had happened to her.

"I see it in your eyes. The same fire that was in Laurel's. I'm sure you think that's a good thing, she was such a great vigilante." Ted's expression was one of honour and respect, dropping almost automatically with his next words. "Until, an arrow penetrated her chest. That- that was my fault. If I hadn't trained her, she wouldn't be in the ground now." Caitlin paused before she responded, not going to say something she didn't truly believe in.

"Ted, I'm not going to say Laurel wouldn't want you to blame yourself because I know how this feels. Being directly responsible for the death of someone you care for. But Ted, you can't just ignore the rest of this city. They need someone to protect them."

"You said it yourself. The crime wave is bigger here than even in Starling. Maybe you will help some people, but what change will you actually bring about? What do you have that she didn't?"

With her hands at her sides, Caitlin let the beginnings of ice particles surround her hands, cool mist almost immediately dropping the temperature in the room, as she raised it to show Ted. The mist almost didn't appear to be real, it just ran off of her hand like a liquid, yet definitely had the properties of a gas. Caitlin had figured that it was similar to liquid hydrogen or nitrogen, which was so cold that it freezes the air around it and transforms it into a gaseous liquid. Ted's eyes widened as he looked at them, stunned by the power she possessed.

"As you could see, I could already be out there, saving lives. But I need to be able to beat someone in a fight without using…these. It's way to easier to critically injure someone with them than with fists"

Ted was still unconvinced, and still struggled with what he feared, "This doesn't change anything. And I need to go get some breakfast so if you'll excuse me Frosty" Ted turned to the door she had come in from after his words, but as she spoke, his movement ceased.

"Ok. Well I'm still going to go out tonight. No matter what." Caitlin's voice was firm, like it was a fact, and whatever he decided to do wouldn't affect her decision. "Would you prefer me to be untrained and die because of it, or live because you helped me learn how to punch?"

Ted's sigh and look of resignation was enough for her, a smile washing over Caitlin's face.

Being a police officer was something Eve had wanted to do her whole life. Seeking justice, honour and truth to find exactly who had committed crimes and helping others with trauma was very close to her heart. The blonde's work had been instrumental in many cases, because she was willing to look deeper than anyone else. It was such a quality that had caught the police chief's attention, of which he told her she would be undertaking some duties of a detective. It meant that she may be able to see footage, or present her beliefs upon what may have happened. Today, one of their own detectives was murdered, frozen in their sleep. All they had to go on was a figure, but everyone seemed to have a firm understanding of who it must have been. Central City's Killer Frost. She must have made her way over to Keystone with deadly intentions because there wasn't anyone else who could even go about freezing another body. However, Eve wasn't convinced. The footage showed a hooded figure who attempted to remain hidden. Killer Frost was already a known felon, hiding from cameras wouldn't change any of that. Also, the figure doesn't seem to ever touch Detective Torres, meaning that either Killer Frost has reached the stage where she doesn't even need to touch someone to make them suffer or even kill them or that it was someone else. Eve reached down to pick up the case file on the metahuman they had had sent over from the Central City Police Department, and despite what her name could mislead some to believe, she had no homicides under her case files. So, Eve struggled to make the jump like all of the others around her already had. With that she walked into the chief's office. The chief, Jaimie Bennett, was one of the best men Eve knew, because of his compass for justice. She looked up to and respected him, hoping that one day she would be able to have a role similar to his.

"What have you got Officer Eden?"

"I don't think Killer Frost did this sir. I don't think we can assume that just because it was ice it was her. Captain Cold used an ice gun as well, what if it was him?" The Chief green eyes smile at Eve's deductions as she continued, "Frost hasn't really been one for stealth either, remember the ice slide?"

"Tomorrow, you can interview the new detective, Alexander Petrov. He was the last man to see Detective Torres alive. No one else is getting that opportunity, don't let me down Eden" The chief speaks strongly and firmly, reminding her of the importance of this assignment. This was a cop killer, none of those could be tolerated. Especially in a city which was about to implode on itself into anarchy if one mistake was made.

"Thank you sir."

Ted raised his fists covered in the boxing gloves in front of Caitlin, whose workout clothes were drenched with sweat. She didn't know if the reason she was constantly on the mat was because of how good he was, or how bad she was. But through the whole thing, she had realised she didn't even have an inkling of Killer Frost inside of her. The voice which had never stopped talking to her, even when she wore the necklace, trying to make her do things that she knew were wrong, wasn't actually there for now. But that was when she realised that it wasn't as if they were different people, they were one and the same, and an acceptance of each other, which came when Savitar was about to kill her best friend, was the only way to survive. Even though it also meant trying to deal with the suffering she caused. She closed her chocolate hues, feeling anger rushing through her mind as she thought of all she had lost and all she had done. The memories flashed through her mind as some of the worst memories came to the forefront. With rage, Caitlin attacked Ted with her fists, and although Ted blocked them, at least she felt like she knew she could do some damage with her fists on someone less trained. Using her leg she connected directly in Ted's stomach with a hard kick, which startled the man, pushing him slightly off of his stance. Ted looked at her, both stunned and surprised.

"Where did that come from Snow?"

Caitlin began to take off her gloves, slightly astounded by what she had just done as well. Where did she learn to kick like that?

"I don't know."

"I can't help you if you don't tell me. Is that a side effect of your powers, knowing how to fight like that?" Ted paused as he looked at her "Or is it something else?"

"Look, Ted. I don't need a psychologist, what I need is boxing trainer."

"What you need is someone to listen to your pain. Just like Laurel did. Anger is a massive part of becoming a good fighter, but if you can't channel it, you can't become anything." Caitlin turned around and looked at him, shaking her head as she quickly zips up her hoodie over her pale arms, her right hand holding her bag.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Then help me understand." Ted's face was pained, knowing that if she just let someone into her walls after what he just saw, she could be exactly what she wanted to be.

"I'll think about it" She throws her hood over her white tresses as she walks out of the gym into the cool night, leaving Ted lost in his thoughts.

The glass doors opened in front of the black-haired woman as she walked out of the computer retail job she had been working at whilst still studying IT at Keystone University. She was on her phone, speaking to her mother, high ponytail tightly bound to her scalp as she moved along the ground, heels tapping against it.

"Yes Mom I'm going to be home in 15 minutes" Her voice was soft, as if she was whispering a secret even though she was alone in the alleyway. Her days were often full, her IT degree lectures taking up her mornings and her job destroying any possibility of an afternoon or evening to herself, even though it didn't even completely pay for the degree. Her mother often told her to quit the job and just let her pay for the education herself, but she didn't want to do that. She was 24 and she needed some sort of independence from her family, even though Keystone's economic state didn't exactly allow for it. Lena's crimson handbag was over her shoulder, standing out from the snow white blouse she wore, dark hair swaying from side to side as she nodded, eyes focused on the road ahead as her mom begun rambling about something that happened while she was in University.

"Mom, can you continue this story when I get home? It's just really loud and I can't hear very well." Lena sighed softly as she spoke, not trying to implicate any negative undertones but also coming up with a strong enough excuse that her mother might buy. After ending the call, Lena began her trek through the lower economic parts of the city, beggars and the homeless asking for money. She tried her best to give them each a little bit of change, but the population of these streets have only increased over time. Lena walked through the streets as fast as she could, head on a swivel to make sure no one made a move towards her. However, all of sudden, a man moved towards her in a flash before she could react and pulled her purse off of her shoulder and took off. Lena's surprise at the action already started her off with a disadvantage, disregarding the fact that she was wearing heels and had never been too athletically inclined. She called out for the man to stop but he continued, turning down an alleyway. Lena felt a slight pain in her side from the overexertion in just a few seconds. She only just made it up the alley when she saw what appeared to be a woman with a hood covering her face launch an ice blast at him, knocking him onto the ground. Lena widened her eyes, her mind trying to figure out what she had just seen. The woman's eyes seemed to meet Lena's and once she realised that Lena had seen what she had done, she took off, running in the opposite direction from the dark-haired woman. She tried to call out to her,

"wait!", but the hooded woman kept her pace, getting further away from her until she was unseeable in the night. The Luthor was undoubtedly not going to be able to keep up with her but what she did do was call the police as she ripped her purse out of the man's grasp still shocked at what she had seen. There was only one thought that filled her mind throughout it all.

She had to know who that woman was.

Suffice to say, Officer Eden wasn't expecting a call from a girl whose purse had been saved by a woman with ice powers, considering that was the exact suspect for the detective's murder. Even though she herself didn't believe it, everyone else did, and being the only officer on patrol in that area, she had to at least check it out. Her talk with Petrov would have to wait until she had taken this woman's statement, even though theft was a usual occurrence on the streets of Keystone. She had to hear about this vigilante. Climbing into her small green car, the paint faded from its obvious use, she placed her foot on the ignition quickly and headed off. Once reaching the crime scene, Eve climbed out of the car and walked briskly over to the dark haired woman whom was still staring off into the distance in the direction Caitlin had taken off in.

"Lena?" The officer called out, trying to get the other woman's attention. Lena turned to see the officer and seemed to take one more look in the distance, struggling to take her eyes off of the possibility of seeing the woman again.

"Officer Eden, I didn't expect to see you, usually theft is ignored by the police."

"Well, you would be right about that. However, your case involves a person of interest in a murder investigation."

"So are you going to arrest him?" Lena motioned to the man whom was still unconscious, even if the ice had eventually dissipated.

"No. Arresting him and locking him up is actually a better life than living how he has been. It's even possible that he only stole from you to get that chance." Eve looked at him without a real care in her green eyes. "Just don't come down these streets again, ok?"

Lena shakes her head, trying to understand the officer's decision. It wasn't as if she was an expert on the law, but she had watched enough television to know that police should arrest the criminal and remove their freedom from them. She really was learning something new everyday.

"So if he's not the person of interest…does that mean my hero is?"

"Afraid so." Lena shook her head at Eve's claim.

"You think she killed someone? That doesn't make sense." Lena couldn't believe how emotional she felt as she spoke, wondering exactly why it mattered so much what happened to someone she didn't even know the name of. "She could have killed this man"

"Well she nearly did." Eve pointed out.

"No. She had enough control to not let that happen." Lena spoke resolutely, with a firm belief of her truth, "When I find her, I'll prove it to you."

"Wait…you're going to find her?" The officer was surprised that a civilian was so interested in a woman who could be dangerous, especially when it seemed like she had no idea who she was under the hood.

"Yes."

"Ok well, when you do, make sure to call up the Central City Police Department. I think they'd be very interested in the finding of Killer Frost." Eve had a glint in her eye as she spoke, almost trying to be funny, the joke completely lost on the IT expert.

"Killer Frost?" Lena paused and raised a brow. "She hasn't even killed anyone yet and you're already calling her Killer Frost?"

Eve couldn't help but sigh at the other woman's insistence to defend Frost. She did have to admit that it didn't make a whole lot of sense for the ice queen to kill someone and then save someone in the same 24 hour period.

"Fair enough. Ok Lena, make sure to keep me in the loop on your private investigation."

"Thanks, but I won't." Eve turned around with a smile on her face as Lena continued, "Until you realise that she isn't who you think she is, you can forget about even getting close to finding her."

"Good luck." Eve's smile still lit up her face until she turned around and replaced it with a frown as she walked back to her car, ready to make haste to Petrov. Killer Frost didn't kill Detective Torres, she was more sure of that than ever before.

So if she didn't. Who did?


	2. Pilot: Part 2

**Hi everyone! Thank you for the amazing support on Part 1. Hopefully now having the whole Pilot you can decide whether you wish to continue on this journey with me! Please review if you get a chance and I hope you enjoy!**

Caitlin's eyes scurried across the room to her TV set, her high carbohydrate breakfast steaming in front of her as she heard the story she had been waiting for. Apparently, Keystone's news station hadn't heard of Killer Frost as the only word they used was 'unknown vigilante'. Someone who had ignored what almost everyone else would have done, and made a decision to help. Obviously, she expected some backlash simply because of the amount The Flash and the Green Arrow had received following their debuts, and she wasn't surprised to see the Police Chief arguing that she had put the man in the hospital, and that her recklessness will get someone killed. He was the one to make the comparison to Killer Frost. Perhaps the thing that surprised the bioengineer the most wasn't the ardent attack by the chief, but instead what the girl she had saved had said. She said thank you, over and over again, like Caitlin had been a saviour for her. Caitlin's lips upturned at even this little show of confidence. It really was everything she needed, the belief that she could be someone to make someone's life better.

Suddenly, a knock on the door reverberated around the room declaring someone's presence to her. With wide eyes, Caitlin moves to the door in silence, hand bellowing out mist as she readies an icicle in her grip, just in case. Once she reaches it, her pale hand grasps the handle and she pulls it open, coming face to face with a man with deep green eyes, messy dark hair and glasses as if he were going to a Harry Potter Convention. Only one man could ever hope to pull that off. Caitlin's icicle falls to the ground and shatters as she looks upon Hartley Rathaway.

"How the hell did you find me? Does anyone else know I'm here?" The flurry of questions was similar to that of punches thrown in battle, a stunned Hartley simply standing still, seemingly undeterred by Caitlin's multiple questions.

"No, I've come alone. And as to how I found you, well…" Hartley pointed to the television set with his right hand. "Can I come in?"

Caitlin's eyes followed his point and shook her head, exasperated. If it were Cisco or Barry or even Julian she would turn them away in an instant, because as much as she loved each of them, she couldn't deal with them right now. And whilst it was true that Hartley's personality was undoubtedly challenging, he was the only one out of all of them who wouldn't look at her with a memory of Killer Frost. She mulled her decision for apparently longer than she thought because Hartley had already slipped in past her svelte body to inspect the fallen icicle.

"So…you're still using ice to thwart your enemies, just not metaphorically anymore." The dark haired man stood back up. "You know, I was supposed to only be here for a meeting for Rathaway Industries but I was surprised to see you travel so far away from home."

"I don't have a home Hartley. At least not in Central City anymore."

"Why? Because of what happened with Savitar? You know they would…"

"They would what? Forgive me? Maybe they would, maybe they even have already, but you know what Hartley? That's not the issue." Caitlin's emotions were once again getting the best of her, feeling regret.

"Then what is?"

"I haven't forgiven myself yet. And until I do, I will notice every single look they give to me. The Wests, I'll never be part of their 'family' again. The new woman, Dr Brand, she will still think of me as Killer Frost after HR's death." She spoke quickly, almost trying to tear off the bandaid quicker.

"So if you don't want them to think of you as her why do you keep the hair?" Hartley asked thoughtfully.

"I'm also not Caitlin Snow anymore. I'm something else. And the hair reminds me of what I've been through." Caitlin spoke solemnly as if she were still in mourning.

"So you're on your own path of forgiveness and self-actualisation. I respect that." Hartley had a glint in his eye as he smirked, "got room for one more traveller?"

Caitlin was a bit stunned by the request but her response was as tactile as possible, "No. You said it yourself. My own path. It's just for me, only me. I have to do this by myself."

"And you think you'll be able to tell when you can forgive yourself? Caitlin, you will run yourself mad with loneliness before you do that. I know I once said that you don't like emotions because they are messy but I was wrong. Your emotions, your kindness and your love for people, even whom have hurt you, is what makes you strong. The powers only feed on that." Hartley tried explaining to her this truth through his hopeful expression, showing his belief in her abilities.

Caitlin looks at him and sighs, shaking her head. "Then why did those same powers hurt those I love?"

Hartley doesn't respond, eyes remaining trained on her, struggling with a response, but before he can open his mouth again, Caitlin derails his train of thought, "Look I've got training with someone who doesn't like to be kept waiting. I'm sorry, I've made up my mind."

Hartley looked at her with a smile as he walked out, "I'll be here for a few more days, so…please think about it."

Caitlin's eyes told him that she wanted help, needed it. But her actions didn't follow what they were expressing as she nodded silently before closing the door.

Finally, Eve was about to get some further traction on evidence for the case, or at least she told herself that. As she moved her straightened hair back into a ponytail, she began to walk up the stairs quietly, hoping not to wake anyone as she moved on her black flat leather shoes. She wanted to make this quick and hopefully discover who exactly had killed Torres now because she had a lunch with her cousin soon. Once she reached Petrov's door, she knocked softly against it, and told him who she was. She heard trudging steps moving towards her, before the door was suddenly opened and the officer looked upon the new detective. His messy blonde hair had obviously been untrained and his face seemed to have been shaved quickly, patches of stubble still remaining. The little of the room she could smell wreaked of alcohol and the apartment's paint job was peeling at the edges. Alexander wore a smile on his face as if he had nothing to hide, yet Eve could tell that there was something more going on than he was letting on.

"Officer Eden. What are you doing here? I've already given my statement." Petrov spoke as if she was invading his privacy and that she wasn't allowed to be here. Eve had news for him. After she walked in she opened her mouth to speak again, "The chief sent me. He wanted me to interview you myself with the new evidence which has come to fruition."

"Wait, you mean you think Killer Frost didn't do it? Just because she didn't kill that man last night?" His questions seemed almost rhetoric in the way they were spoken, but Eve wasn't taking anything for granted.

"Petrov, I never said that. Frost is still the number one prospect, it's just that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for her to save a woman in the same day that she killed a detective." Eve spoke calmly, trying to get off on the right foot with this man.

"She's a psycho. What other explanation do you need?"

Eve looks at him with a raised brow, trying to work out Petrov's motivation at that exact moment. It was almost like he was figuring out ways to incriminate Killer Frost, and after having the woman's file be sent over from the CCPD, she realised she hadn't even killed anyone.

"As much as she does deserve to be locked up for what she did in Central City, you know up until now Killer Frost hasn't killed anyone yet."

"Yes."

"So why would she kill Detective Torres?" This was the question she truly wanted an answer to, but instead, Petrov continued upon his same stance.

"Officer, forgive me, but didn't we just go over this? She's a psycho." He shook his head speaking quietly to himself, just out of the earshot of Eve (or so he thought), "I should be the one doing questioning, I'm the one who got the promotion."

The second Eve heard what he said she widened her eyes.

"You got the detective job?"

"Yeah, I did. What's it to you?"

Eve started putting things together in her head, eyes still wide as she tried to hide the fact that all of this suddenly made sense. Petrov killed Torres to get his place within the force, and with his new position, he could incriminate whomever he wished for it, his word would be law. As much as the chief gave her control of the case, it would be out of her hands if he had have come back prior to her discovery. Petrov saw that look on her face as everything seemed to just crumble down around him, with only one thought in his mind. She knows.

"No further questions" Eve said as she stood up, walking to the door, surprised at what she had just discovered. Of course, it wasn't enough, yet. But, she would be able to find out more about him and eventually find out exactly how he froze a man without powers or Captain Cold's gun. As she was about to step out of the room, she heard a gun raised and loaded behind her.

"You might not want to take anymore steps, Officer Eden" Eve raised her arms at his words, having left her weapons in her car not expecting any fights to occur in a conversation about a mutual friend. Apparently, she was wrong.

Today, Ted wasn't standing in the middle of the ring, ready to practice boxing skills with Caitlin. Instead, there was a maroon punching bag attached to the ceiling ready and waiting for her to train with. Caitlin's dark eyebrows raised in surprise at it as she walked in, her dark blue workout shirt and black tights hugging her curves tightly. Ted stood to the side of the ring looking at her look of shock with a smile, opening his mouth to speak, "I told you. I can't train you if you don't let up your walls for me."

Caitlin rolled her eyes at that as she stepped through the ropes in front of the ring, "Fine." And with that, Caitlin picked up the boxing gloves which sat in front of her, sliding them over her hands and fists adeptly as she began punching the the bag in front of her, ignoring the fact that Ted was even there. She closed her eyes and went to a better place, green pastures and sun blaring down on her as she chased her father around the background. The grass rustled softly as her small feet made their way through it, catching up to her father. Smiling, she touched his side to let him know that she had caught him, hoping to get some extra time on the swing set. Yet, who turned around wasn't her father, it was the scarred face of Savitar. Her eyes widened as she was all of a sudden back in that cold warehouse, his metal hand wrapped her around neck once again, cutting off her breath. In response, she urged up the courage to fire a cold beam directly into his chest.

"Caitlin! Caitlin!" Ted's voice cut through her vision returning her back to the real world in which the punching bag she had been focused on was iced over completely, her right boxing glove back on the floor where it had been before. Caitlin's breaths were full as she tried to ward off the panic which was rising within, lungs closing up. Sweat and tears met on her face as she dropped to the ground, not even trying to compose herself noticing every good thought she had seemed to be replaced with a horrible one. Ted was right next to her in an instant, dropping to his knees to look at her, trying to calm her down with both touch and words, "Hey it's ok, Caitlin, it's over, it's ok."

Caitlin's brown eyes looked at him and she finally opened herself to him. "Do you know what it's like to lose your husband? And then to open yourself back up to love and have that man be a super villain? And then completely lose your sanity and let all the anger and hurt you had been hiding out as you hurt those you love?"

Ted's eyes filled with sadness at the question's she was asking. He had known from the moment she had walked in that she was broken, but it had was simply worse than he ever could have expected. The man shook his head as he responded, "No, I don't know what that's like. I don't know that suffering. But Caitlin, listen to me, you're still here and you still want to help people." Caitlin's eyes were locked on his as he continued, "So many people would give up on others, but you are driven by it, and now, you won't be alone. Now I know how to train you."

Caitlin lets a teary second of laughter out of her lips as she gives Ted a hug which is reciprocated.

Caitlin knew that, as difficult as it had been to open herself up to Ted, her fight against all the pain will be easier with an ally. Maybe Hartley was right, having people around her would make her stronger than she could imagine because of their belief. She reached onto her bedside table, feeling the rough surface of wood underneath her fingers as she picked up her phone, getting ready to call Hartley, but before she could type his number into her phone, a call from Ted appears on her screen. Surprised, she answers the call, "Hi Ted, is everything ok?".

"No…its not." Ted's voice was filled with worry, something Caitlin had never heard from him before because of his relative cleverness of dealing with situations like these.

"What happened?" Caitlin asked, trying to not worry herself just yet.

"My cousin that I told you I was meeting with for lunch, well I tried to call her because she wasn't here on time like she normally is, and there was this man on the other side of the cell who told me I had to come, and come alone if I wanted my cousin to live." Ted spoke quickly through the phone, trying to relay the information as fast as possible, obviously trying to get to the important information about why he called her.

Which was exactly what she was still trying to find out, "Then why are you calling me? If he's going to kill her, then you have to go and save her."

"We both know why I called. Caitlin, I need you to save my cousin. And I trust you to do it. You have already overcome so much mentally and emotionally, I know you can do this." Ted spoke with belief in his voice, as if the worry had disintegrated with the knowledge of Caitlin being able to help.

"Thanks Ted, but are you sure?" Caitlin's voice still wasn't convinced. Ted knew that belief was what she needed though, so he continued, "Positive. Now go be a hero."

Caitlin smiled following that, saying that she would save Ted's cousin to him, before hanging up the phone and walking over to her closet, picking out the same suit she had worn as Killer Frost. Without Cisco, she couldn't make any improvements, like a hood to conceal her identity, so she had to just go with what she had. The leather suit felt soft in her hands, and felt it inside at that moment, just like a fire rising. Ted was right. She could be a hero. And with that, she ran to the bathroom to change.

Eve could feel Petrov's snicker on the back of her neck as he concluded tying her up on the chair following his talk with Ted on the phone. The ropes were tight, forcing her hands to remain in their forward position and any attempt to flee using her legs as a beginning seemed impossible with the rope around her ankles. A piece of fabric was wrapped around her neck, and she knew the only thing it could be.

"Why are you doing this?" Eve knew why he was doing it…but she needed to by herself time.

"My friends have incredible power in this city because of the ignorant population of this city. My movement was only to further establish our dominance, as it will remain" Petrov spoke as if he were an incredible person for doing what he was doing, believing he truly was being revolutionary.

"Your…friends?" Eve continued her questions just as she had before this, trying to make him want to keep talking.

"Yes. We're called the Injustice Society, and we are feeding pain in both political and executive avenues, destroying any hope of economic regrowth. However, people like you always ruin it. So that's why I'm going to crush you in the best way I know how to."

Eve didn't speak, steeling her eyes to look directly at him without any emotion, trying to remain calm and believing she would find a way to escape. Without any response, Petrov continued,

"When your dear cousin walks through those doors, he will be shot. And then, I will shoot you, and put the gun in his hand. People love that estranged family relationship which leads to both people's demise" Petrov smiled villainously at Eve, as if he were a predator sizing up his prey, getting ready for the kill. Before he could however, cool smoke began to fill up the room and it became extremely difficult to see anything, the coughs of both occupants filling the room. Suddenly, Petrov heard other movement in the room. Cocking his gun, he moved slowly, trying to relocate Eve through the sea of mist, however when he finally found the chair, Eve was still in it, no matter how much she squirmed and tried to break the ropes. Petrov's mind suddenly turned to the realisation that someone else was moving around in his home.

"Looking for me?" Caitlin spoke, using the same icy voice Killer Frost had to conceal her identity further. As soon as Petrov turned to see who had spoken, a fist hit him directly in his cheek like a bullet, dropping the gun. As he scurried across the floor, trying to find his gun in the smoke, Frost moved across the room in her high heeled boots with ease and quickness towards Eve. Creating an icicle in her hand, she crouched to rip the rope off of Eve's arms and legs quickly, before turning to the right to see Petrov standing in front of her with his gun pointed at her. Her long jacket ran down to cover her hands as she concocted a small icicle in her right hand, blue eyes from the contacts she had placed in her eyes focused upon Petrov's figure.

"Wow…l never thought I'd meet you in person Killer Frost." Petrov genuinely seemed starstruck as if it were surprising to him that she would spend any time with him.

"It's just Frost now." Frost responded quickly and easily explaining the changed name.

"Oh really? So you're a hero now? Too bad really, I had a speech prepared to convince you to join the Injustice Society…but I guess that will just have to wait." Just as he cocked his gun back, Frost launched the icicle directly into the muzzle, breaking it before he could launch a bullet. With a smile on her plum lips, she got up out of her couching position and used a hand as a thruster to get over to him before he could make any escape attempts. Petrov attempted to use his broken gun as a weapon, throwing a roundhouse punch at the platinum haired vigilante, but she blocked it swiftly with her left arm. With her right she landed a punch into his stomach to knock the wind out of him, before punching him in the head to knock him out as he fell to the ground. She turned back to Eve whom picked out her handcuffs from her pocket and moved closer to Petrov with them. After handcuffing him, the officer turns to thank Frost, but she had already disappeared. With a roll of her eyes, and a grin on her face, she picked her phone out of Petrov's pocket to call the police chief.

Eve walked into the police station with Petrov in toe, his wrists handcuffed behind his back, still shocked by what had occurred just moments ago. She saw people all around her, standing up and clapping about her capture of this murderer. Of course, they wouldn't believe her when she said that Killer Frost had helped her, so she decided to keep that to herself. The chief stood in front of the door to lock-up, holding the detective badge Petrov was to receive, until now.

"I believe this is yours, Detective Eden" Chief Bennett passed the badge to her with a grin on his more mature features, to which Eve simply nods and smiles back, placing the badge in her pocket.

As she walked into the lock-up, Petrov finally started talking again, "You know, I didn't join the Injustice Society because of getting the promotion. I joined because I enjoyed killing so much."

"You're a psychopath, and a cop killer. You aren't going to see outside of a jail cell again for the rest of your life." Eve spoke with ease, as she moved Petrov into a cell.

"Maybe…but everyone out there still thinks Killer Frost is a criminal. Maybe I'll share a cell with her." She couldn't see his smile as he still faced the other way, speaking as if he knew a secret that she hadn't yet been introduced to.

"Never."

"Well, you'd best hope you find her first, there's no telling what other people in this department might do to her if they find her first. Especially if they're in the Injustice Society." He stifles a laugh as he continues, "Even I don't know how many there are."

Eve locks the door on the cell and walks out, his sadistic laugh filling the air. Once she moved back to her desk, she pulled up the number Lena had called the police station with following Frost's saving of her purse. With a smile, she typed it into her phone and sent a text message to her reading ' _It's Officer Eden, I'm in'_

As Caitlin ran across the city on a different route due to a request from Hartley, she felt proud to be who she was, for the first time in months. She had heard the news about Petrov being locked up by the KCPD and the fact that Eve was going to be ok from Ted. On her first night of truly being a hero, she was successful. Maybe, just maybe, she had made the right choice of coming to Keystone and she could actually bring about change. The sun was out again, blaring down on her hooded figure as she finally reached her rendezvous point with Hartley. She halted in front of a warehouse she had seen workers travelling in and out of in prior days when she had believed she could find somewhere to be her base of operations.

"It's yours" Caitlin turned to see Hartley standing behind her with a smile on his face. Her brow raised when she heard what he said,

"How?"

"The warehouse was owned by my father's company, so since my parents and I have rekindled our relationship, I get to make decisions that I believe are in the company's best interests." Hartley spoke, lips upturned with every word, as he took a few steps closer to her so he didn't have to speak any louder than what was necessary.

"What about all those people who were working here? That was their livelihood, how are they going to feed their families?" Caitlin was genuinely concerned, knowing the state of the city, of what it could mean for their lives. Hartley understood Caitlin's concern, and even felt a greater affinity for her because of her caring nature, "Caitlin, look, it's ok. My dad is giving them all a job in the new facility we are opening in Central City, which means they can get out of this hellhole." Caitlin nodded, before she let a small simper come across her lips in realisation of Hartley's purpose behind all of this, "So what's the catch?"

"What?" Hartley responded coolly to Caitlin's question, but she continued, "I know you. There's always a catch. What is it this time?"

Hartley sighed as he shook his head before opening his mouth to respond, "The same one I had yesterday. Let me be a part of your crusade. Let me help. Let me show you how much I believe"

"Ok." Caitlin didn't even need to think about it this time.

"Ok?" Hartley was quite obviously taken aback by her expeditious response.

"Yeah. Last night, I realised how much more effective I would be able to be in protecting the people of the city with someone like you behind me, guiding me. And I suddenly realised, maybe I don't want to be alone anymore. So, yes, you're in, as long as you're ok with keeping my secret." Her voice was considerate, but shared an obvious undertone of warning in finality.

"Of course." Hartley agreed.

"Great! Ok, well I'm just going to go get my things to set up."

"Ok, see you soon." Caitlin walked off with a wave, ready to help even more people than she believed was possible

Once Caitlin was out of sight, Hartley took his phone out of his pocket, typing a message to an anonymous number with only one line of text:

' _Everything is going according to plan'_

 **Episode 2 Synopsis:**

 ** _CAITLIN AND HARTLEY BEGIN TO PROTECT KEYSTONE CITY- After setting up her base of operations, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) finds herself surprised by how much she is able to help people with the help of Hartley (Andy Mientus). However, when a new metahuman, named Volcana (guest star Amy Davidson), appears, she will truly be put to the test physically. Meanwhile, Lena (Katie McGrath) continues to search for any clues as to who the woman who saved her might be. The episode will air on on 26/7/2017_**


End file.
